"Violation"

[Mark Wells]

On Thu, 23 Mar 2000, W. Yip wrote:

> A license is only permissive. The failure to follow the license terms
> amounts to acting beyond what is permitted. Invariably in software this act
> would infringe copyright, because such an act would presumably come under
> those exclusive rights guaranteed by copyright. Therefore, 'violation of
> license terms' is not a proper phrase, since the effect is copyright
> infringement.

Yes, a license grants certain copyright privileges to the licensee.  It
also imposes conditions and constraints on those privileges.  If you
continue to exercise the copyright privileges without following the
conditions, you are infringing the copyright.

But the _reason_ you are infringing the copyright is that you are
violating the conditions placed on the grant of copyright privileges.
The general legal term is 'copyright infringement', but it's more useful
and descriptive to call it a violation of the license.